The Show Must Go On

For 30 Years, Summer Place Theatre has done just that

Oh the stories.
Certainly 30 years of anything would yield a wealth of stories, but the ones generated by The Summer Place, Naperville's community theatre, seems very rich indeed. This is the opening weekend for the third decade of Summer Place, currently featuring "Man of La Mancha" on the stage at Naperville Central High School with "Annie Get Your Gun" and Moliere's "Tartuffe" slated for later this summer.

It's a good time to reminisce. Like the time in the third season when a young John Belushi was kicked out of a Summer Place production. Or the time production members tried vainly to hold down their tent theatre in tornadic winds.

There are unfortunate stories of actors falling off the stage and breaking limbs, actors who showed up drunk before performances, and triumphant stories of Summer Place alumni moving on to prominent careers.

And then there are stories that just can't be told in print.

There are countless stories associated with tenure as an outdoor theatre - the torrential rains, the mudslides, the heat waves, the bugs, and the animals wandering on stage during performances or nesting in stage props.

But first, some history. The idea for a summer community theatre in Naperville was conjured up by 15 North Central College students and their theatre and speech professor Donald "Doc" Shanower, in 1966 during the journey to a theatrical contest in Kentucky.

"We needed something in Naperville to bring the "town and gown together," said Shanower, who is now 74 and has been retired from North Central College for 10 years.

"The Summer Theatre Project", as it was referred to, seemed the perfect vehicle. To fulfill the "town" portion of the concept, Shanower approached Donald Jamison, who at the time was considered the best-known actor and director in Naperville. 

Shanower and Jamison went on to serve as frequent directors, actors, unofficial partners, and keepers of the Summer Place vision until Jamison's death in the mid-1980s

Although Shanower feels he has handed over the reins to others over the years, he has remained involved and directed "Guys and Dolls" as recently as last summer.

The year after the Summer Theatre Project was conceived (and happily renamed "The Summer Place" by one of the students), the shows began.

The first season, starting with the play "Chicken Every Sunday" and ending five shows later with "The Importance of Being Earnest," was performed in a garage donated for one year at no cost by the Bank of Naperville (now Harris Bank), located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Washington Street (now a parking lot).

The performances were well received, so the fledgling group set about what would become an all-too-frequent search for a theatre home. Circus-style tents set up on the grounds of the college would be their domain for 10 years, from 1968-1978.

The first tent, a red and white number, was formally used for revivals by an Oklahoma evangelist. But even its spiritual roots could not protect it from severe weather in 1969. Both Shanower and his wife, Pat were among Summer Place cast members and crew inside the tent during an assault of tornadic winds, hanging onto ropes and canvas for dear life. 

Pat remembers someone screaming above the winds, "There's no way to keep this tent on earth - so save yourself!" The group fled to safety in the Merner Fieldhouse, and the ill-fated tent was ripped to shreds in the wind.

Opening night for the season's second show was the very next evening. In spite of the tragedy, Summer Place devotees took to heart the adage "the show must go on." They salvaged as many props and costumes as they could, and worked all night long reassembling in the college's Pfeiffer Hall.

The show did go on, the sets still wet with fresh paint, and they spent the rest of their season there. The next year, a new yellow and white tent was procured and assembled. In 1975, powerful winds also brought about its demise. Not long afterward, a barn that had been used to store props and costumes was burned to the ground, destroying over $5,000 worth of property.

But the Summer Place endured. With the help of insurance money and contributions from businesses and individuals, the first metal-roofed, canvas side theatre was erected near Merner Fieldhouse on the college grounds in 1978. This time it was not summer storms, but the blizzard of '79 that would bring catastrophe as heavy snowfall piled on the metal roof and caused it to collapse.

Summer Place supporters rebuilt the structure and the new pavilion remained the theatre's home until 1992, when performances moved for the first time to a large indoor, air conditioned facility - the Naperville Central High School Auditorium. 

To many, the move indoors was the end of an era. "The charm is gone, the rustic character, the outdoorsy feel. Even the inconveniences were all part of the experience," said Shanower. "No matter what you did, there was an element of surprise. You never knew what the weather would be, or if mice would run across the stage during a performance. I was sorry to see it go inside."

Dick Hawks, an Aurora resident who performed in Summer Place Productions since its inception and now serves on the board of directors, agrees. "People always stopped me after the show to say "I brought so-and-so (from out of town) to show them this great outdoor theatre," he said. 

He allows that there were problems, such as the elements themselves. In fact, sometimes the rain beating down the metal roof would get so loud, the audience could barely hear the performance. Still, he doesn't remember them ever having to stop a show, "and you might get an extra round of applause for your efforts to be heard above the rain." 

Sheri Davis, a Naperville resident who has been actively involved with the Summer Place in nearly all capacities since 1982 ("I've directed, acted, swept up stuff, chased pigeons, done gardening...") says there were times performing outdoors when "you'd open up your mouth to sing, and a bug would fly in"

Although she says she misses the charm of the pavilion, and more particularly its intimate theatre in the round design, she insists that "you can't deny the new facility is so much better."

"I don't miss anything about (the outdoor theatre)," insists Craig Mahlstedt of Naperville, who along with his wife Jan, have been extremely active with the group since 1977. "Even on a perfect night, you were fighting with bugs and noise, and there was a concern about extra liability. It was not a very safe building."

Jan Mahlstedt, who is directing "Annie Get Your GUn," which opens July 12, said she misses "the smell of the night air," but not the many drawbacks of outdoor theatre.

There was the year they endured mudslides every time it rained due to construction near the theatre, and the time they had to relocate a family of opossums that had taken up residence in a stage sofa. Still, she allows the old outdoor settings with their challenges, audiences were willing to forgive a lot. Not so with their new, professional-looking digs. "Expectations rose. Ours did too." Mahlstead said.

Simple, suggested sets and props have given way to more elaborate and expensive ones. One indication of Summer Place's reputation is revealed in the number of people who come to auditions - and the distance they are willing to travel for rehearsals.

"It depends, but on average we have 50 to 100 people who come and audition for each show." Jan Mahlstedt said. For this season's shows, Mahlstedt says people came from towns all over the western suburbs, even as far away as Chicago.

Although there are those who come to auditions with impressive resumes and dreams of careers in theatre, Craig Mahlstedt maintains that for most people, the Summer Place is not a training ground but rather "a place where people can express love for the theatre."

There have been a few famous exceptions. In 1969, a 19-year-old Wheaton resident named John Belushi appeared as the Telephone Man in Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" under the direction of SHanower.

"I had no problem with him," said Shanower, who recalls Belushi as a funny and talented young man. But when Belushi was subsequently cast in "A Thousand Clowns" with Jamison, problems developed and Belushi's wild behavior did him in. The teenager was kicked out of the production.

Another famous name, television morning host Paula Zahn, started out playing cello in the Summer Place orchestra in the mid-70s. She was a very good person, willing to take direction and suggestions," recalled Shanower

Hudson Hickman, a former staff member, and actor who went on to become the associate producer of "The Love Boat" and "Hotel" on ABC television. Dulcie Corkhill Gilmore, another Summer Place alumni is currently the manager of the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.

Then there's 11-year-old Beau Butherus of Naperville who is appearing this summer as Annie Oakley's brother Little Jake in "Annie Get Your Gun." Butherus has appeared in numerous commercials and print advertisements as well as in community theatre

He also appears in a new movie "Chain Reaction," starring Keanu Reeve and Morgan Freeman, arriving in movie theatres soon. "It was really fun," Butherus said of the two-day shoot. Look for him in a museum scene as part of a school group that's "walking around kind of casual."

Love for the theatre is the objective even with the occasionally seasoned professionals - no Summer Place actors are paid. In fact, most of the behind-the-scenes work is done by volunteers except for a few hammering-sawing-painting positions that students often take on as summer jobs.

For each show, the director, musical director, and choreographer also receive a modest stipend in exchange for some extremely long hours. 

"Anybody who does community theatre is dedicated." said Alan Weiger, director of "Man of La Mancha." That's part of what makes community theatre what it is - people doing their 9-to-5 jobs to pay the bills, then giving up their evenings and Sundays to come to rehearse."

He calls his current cast "extremely dedicated."

Clearly, Summer Place does not exist to make money. "No way," laughed Jan Mahlstedt. "That's why we're a not-for-profit organization. We exist to offer community entertainment and involvement."

In recent years, the Summer Place has spawned new programs, including the popular "Ghost Stories in the Park..In the Dark!" an outdoor festival of spooky stories and free cider held in October near the Riverwalk. This will be its fourth year, and already "it's becoming a tradition," says Davis, who instituted the program.

Since its inception, the Summer Place has provided plays for children - often by children - from "little Lee Bobo" in 1967 to the one-act plays "Jack and the Giant" and "The Fisherman and His Wife" to be performed this summer.

Recently, working in conjunction with the Naperville Park District, the children's theatre has formed its own board and a new name: The Magical Starlight Theatre. Although most shows are performed in the small "Theatre Central" at Naperville Central High School, Jan Mahlstedt, who serves on its board says overuse of space sometimes makes scheduling difficult.

"We're having trouble finding a permanent home," she said in that all-too-familiar litany.

As for Summer Place itself, has it found a permanent home at Naperville Central's Auditorium?" A home yes. Permanent? Although Mahlstedt says they have a five-year contract in place, it's impossible to predict the future in a space that has so many other demands on it. "I think we're a traveling organization," she said. She and other Summer Place members lament the lack of a building used exclusively for the arts.

"In a town this big, there should be a performing arts center. It's not like we're a brand new city," Jan Mahlstedt said.

Shanower has similar feelings about the organization he founded. "I"m saddened by the fact that it doesn't have its own home. If it did, it could be the community focus for all kinds of theatre programs."

A performing arts center could become a reality, he says, but only with a great deal of community and corporate support.

As for the 30-year run of his Summer Theatre Project, Shanower said: "I thought every year was a plus. Each successive year seemed to say, the community likes what we're doing. We have a place here. It has been terrific."